The Icy Archipeligo
The Icy Archipeligo isn't actually a nation, but more of a geographic phenomenon. Centrally Located in the Sea of Dominion it conists of thousands of islands, some tiny and some quite large. The area is distinguished by the freezing temperatures in the area. The islands are inhabited by several types of creatures both intelligent and non-intelligent. Some of the larger islands have small established governments on them. It is a place not many choose to live but any adventurer worth their salt has had to trek here for one reason or another. Travel Navigation Due to the, at times, narrow waterways of the Archipeligo normal ships are prohibited from entering. Instead there are manmade ports just outside of the Archipeligo. Each port allows access to citizens of certain Alliances. For access travelers must dock their ship and rent a certified vessel for navigation through the archipeligo. If inhabited most islands will likely have some small docking station, though trying to find them is pure luck. Most travelers simply try to find a crevice in the icy terrain and pull in there. Currency The Icy Archipeligo has a standard currency for the area called Dales. Although merchants will accept currency from the other nations they will do so with a fee in mind. The fees from each merchant can vary. Conditions Obviously, as the name implies, the archipeligo is extremely cold, even in the warmest of times. During the warmest times of the seasons, the temperature may peak at around 10 degrees Celcius. The highest recorded temperature of the modern era was 21 degrees Celcius. On average the temperature will between -20 to -10 degrees Celcius. During the cold season the temperature can drop as far as -60. The coldest recorded temperature of the modern era was -84 degrees Celcius. When traveling through the Archipeligo more have succumbed to the climate conditions than to anything else. The second leading cause of death is drowning, and third is starvation. These three make up for more than 75% of the accounted total of deaths in this area. Adventureres preparing only for the denziens that lurk here have underestimated the archipeligos potential. Notable Locations There exist several places in the Archipeligo have enough reknown to be mentioned in the same sentence as the cold that surrounds it. The Three Ice Kingdoms 3 large kingdoms have formed in this land. They grew large enough to actualy garner some reputation. These 3 kingdoms are Leeyod, Glacies, and Pagos. The live in mutual respect of each other and only Pagos and Leeyod have ever had a confrontation large enough to be considered a war. They mainly exist a haven for people to go when they have lost their way but have no means of leaving the archipeligo. The Blizzard Caverns First found during a massive ice storm that offered a "safe" place to stay until the storm died, the Blizzard Caverns are actually a series of glaciers that have stuck together. Walking about a minutes worth into the caverns means entering a whole different world. Creatures of many types have found their way in here and made it their home. Ice Giant Homeland One of the largest islands in the archipeligo is the sacred ancestral grounds of the ice giants. Being very territorial the homeland giants are not very visitor friendly, and when in a good mood, will try to capsize a ship without provocation. An old tale says that the entire archipeligo was was once a uniform island. When the first Ice Giant King died it was said that the giants mourning was so great that they beat the ground with their weapons and fists so hard that the ground began to break apart and form the archipeligo. Surely a myth but a fun story nonetheless The Hum One of the most disturbing "place" in the archipeligo is called The Hum. It is a place in the fact that is can cover a large area, but what makes it disturbing is that is moves. It has no definite location. The Hum is called as such because upon sailing into it a very low bass tone can be faintly heard. It vibrates the water in a very unnerving way. Not only is the sound there but there is a visual as well, the water goes from dark blue, to almost black. Other than the visual and audial queues not much is known about The Hum. There are almost as many theories as Kingdoms in the Great Alliance but no one knows for sure. One thing is certain though, nobody wants to be caught in The Hum whenever they do figure it out.